Last week, with the impending threat of a cold freeze, I received a call from my neighbor, Denise Sharp. She lives nearby on Sharp Farm, where she grows many crops, is open-to-the-public for educational tours and hayrides, keeps livestock, sells vegetable, herb and flowering plants, both retail and wholesale from her two greenhouses and numerous cold frames, and where she and her son Alan recently built a high-tunnel greenhouse. Denise is a dynamo—she never seems to slow down—if she is not working on the farm, she is refurbishing a house or working on machinery or off somewhere hiking or skiing.

Since the new-this-year, high-tunnel house is not being heated during the winter months (at least not this year), I was the fortunate recipient of her invitation to come and harvest great gobs of greens before they succumbed to the freezing temperatures. So I set out, dressed in many layers, with boxes and clippers. When I arrived Denise and her assistant were hunkered down cutting greens. They had already pulled the fennel bulbs and trimmed back all of the Swiss chard, hoping the latter might sprout again.

The greenhouse is about 110-feet long by 22-feet wide with galvanized pipe supports and double layers of heavy plastic. There are fans and doors at both ends. The walkway runs down the center and there are planting beds on both sides. Denise told me that she added tons of amendments and peat to make the Maryland clay soil friable. She has been harvesting the in-ground crops all fall. Besides greens like arugula, cilantro, frisee, tat-soi, bok choy, spinach, baby lettuces, kale, broccoli rabe and chard, she had a few root crops—the fennel, beets and some scallions—not to mention a lovely volunteer crop of chickweed.

I peeled off one layer of clothes after shooting some photos and began harvesting some of this late fall, hardy bounty. I also helped clear a few beds, pulling out lettuces and cilantro. Then I loaded up my booty of boxes of greens and headed home. Whereupon, I unloaded them and took some photos and then picked over, trimmed and bagged some of them for storage; trimmed the cilantro and put in a jar with water and placed it on the kitchen windowsill; and washed the greens that I was going to prepare for dinner in my salad spinner.

Last week, I posted a recipe for Tangy Kale Slaw and today I’ll write the recipe for Lentil Soup with Greens—a simple and warming winter soup. Not only are the hardy winter greens high in vitamins and earth’s minerals so they are nourishing and good for us; once they have been exposed to cold weather they become much sweeter and are delicious to eat!

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Consistent & Even Watering Drip Irrigation Hose: Makes use of a clog-resistant fabric cover recycled vinyl for consistent slow soaking seep throughout its entire length. Deliver water to the entire area that it covers. Only certain areas of your garden bed getting watered. For waste-free watering in garden beds and other tight spaces. Waters the base of the plants so less water-related leaf damage. Linkable Garden Soaker Hose For DIY Irrigation System: End to end connectable drip water hose, flexible versatile Above-ground or bury it below a up to 3-inch layer of mulch or soil; this fit with garden hose threads and come with rust resistant end caps that make it possible to connect multiple hoses and works well with timers. Maneuverability And 100% Environmentally Friendly Drip Hose: Double layer design PVC Covered With Extra-Strength Fabric material protect from sun damage than rubber weeping hose; ensure the longevity of the soaker hose, which is ideal for you using it regularly through all seasons in your garden. Made of 100% environmentally friendly recycled vinyl, pass CA65 test, water is safe for ground which makes it perfect for use with vegetables, herbs, and other edible plants. Easy To Store Flat Soaker Hose: This irrigation drip hose flat design is kink-resistant, lies flat makes it a breeze to roll up and store for next season.The flat shape also makes it simple to snake under existing plant growth. One-Year Warranty on Flat Soaker Hoses: Ensure a water pressure of 40-90 psi for best results—hot water is not suitable.

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This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers.

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